{"id":15813,"date":"2011-07-27T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2011-07-27T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=15813"},"modified":"2016-12-15T09:47:49","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T15:47:49","slug":"new-york-hotels-robots-kiosks-gadgets-changing-the-hotel-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/new-york-hotels-robots-kiosks-gadgets-changing-the-hotel-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Robots, kiosks: Gadgets changing the hotel experience"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fast forward: Check-in kiosks at the Yotel in New York City.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Mark Chesnut<\/em><\/p>\n

Whether you’re heading out on business or enjoying a Europe vacation<\/a> or New York vacation<\/a>, you’re more likely than ever to find technology playing a role in making your hotel stay go smoothly. But looking to the airline industry may provide the clearest vision of how hotels will operate in the future.<\/p>\n

As with seemingly every aspect of modern life, smartphones are an increasingly helpful resource during hotel stays. Ritz-Carlton, for example, now offers its World Concierge service on Foursquare, the location-based mobile program. Using a smartphone, travelers can now check into locations and landmarks in 25 countries for tips provided by Ritz-Carlton concierge staff from all 75 Ritz-Carlton properties.<\/p>\n

In May, Starwood<\/a> Preferred Guest unveiled the latest version of its free app, which allows members to keep track of their SPG account. The company\u2019s free app for W Hotels Worldwide app, meanwhile, allows users to tap into some of that brand\u2019s characteristic cool, by streaming custom music mixes from DJs around the world.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s time to leave the hotel, many travelers now use the televisions in their room to review the bill and check out. At the Hyatt Regency New Orleans<\/a>, which is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation before opening in October, TV functions \u2014 provided by a company called Roomlinx \u2014 will offer even more, with access to Internet apps including Netflix, Youtube and Facebook, as well as unrestricted Internet and e-mail.<\/p>\n

For a glimpse of the future, take a look at how you check in and board planes at the airport. Or pay a visit to the Comfort Xpress in Oslo, Norway, which opened earlier this year and claims to have the first 100 percent automated check-in and check-out system at a major hotel. Guests here can check in with a link received via e-mail or text, which also allows them to indicate their check-in time and room preference. Upon arrival, guests receive another message via cell phone with their room number, and may proceed directly to the room, using the phone instead of a key card, much the same way airlinepassengers use electronic boarding passes on their phones.<\/p>\n

Travelers in the United States can also experience futuristic innovations at YOTEL New York<\/a>, which opened in June. Guests arriving at the 669-room New York hotel check in at self-service kiosks similar to those found at an airport, and only need to speak with a human staff member if they have a question or problem. If a traveler needs to leave luggage either before or after their stay, they stop at the Yobot, a robotic arm that checks and stores guest luggage.<\/p>\n

Related resources<\/strong><\/p>\n